Why People don't listen to Podcasts

Hang on, don't I have a successful weekly podcast that's been running for three years? Well, yes and no. "Podcast" is a term that was coined a few years ago to describe audio content placed on the web which could be downloaded onto an mp3 player. Since the Apple iPod was, and probably still is, the dominant brand in the mp3 player market, the audio files became known as "podcasts", because that is what they are called on iTunes.

For some time, I called the audio version of my email newsletter "The Media Coach Podcast". Then I spoke to some friends at a conference in New York. They showed me some research which indicated that the vast majority of Internet users had no idea what a podcast was, or that they could listen to it without downloading it to an iPod. I changed the name of my podcast to "The Media Coach Radio Show", and instantly found that the number or downloads tripled.

By the way, if you don;t know how to create an Internet Radio show, I wrote a guide to help you.

Creating a podcast is easy, and worthwhile, but what you call it is important too.

How to Promise and Deliver

You must promise something to your audience at the start of your speech, and you must deliver it before the end. That's because speeches are not like conversations. When we have a chat with someone, they get the chance to talk every few minutes. Our audiences, however, have the dubious pleasure of having to listen to us for up to forty minutes at a stretch. In order to make it worth their while, we have to give them something valuable.

We may give them new information, a new insight, or the motivation to change their behaviour. We may give them a combination of things. What is important is that when the applause dies down, they feel as though their time has been well spent. Some speakers prefer not to signal their intentions at the start of a speech. That's fine, as long as your message gets through loud and clear. I prefer to tell my audience what to expect, partly to ensure that they enter a state of eager anticipation.

If you promise to show people "three techniques to improve their business", then don't provide two, or even four (because then they will be confused). If you can bear to do it (and you should, if you are a professional), then contact the organiser afterwards to ask "what did people learn from my speech?" If the answer surprises you, then change your first line. If the answer is "nothing", change your whole speech. And if the answer is what you told them they would learn, ask them how you can help them implement it.

Whose copyright is it, anyway?

I'm prompted to write about copyright theft in the Internet following a series of sites publishing my book "The Pocket Media Coach" in digital format, for free download.

The response on Twitter to my experience has been interesting. Some people have been, like me, rather annoyed,and urged me to seek redress. Others have suggested that I focus on the positive aspects, such as wider name recognition and brand awareness. However, it is the third group that has puzzled me.

More than a few people have sent me messages suggesting that all content on the Internet should be free. One even suggested that it was an inevitable, and probably justifiable, outcome for "ripping people off with your digital products in the first place". I see.

So let's consider the position. Firstly, the book was published in traditional form. No digital version was published or marketed. The unknown copyright thieves have either re-typed it or scanned it in. Secondly, it is a piece of original work created by me, and it seems only fair that I should be able to decide whether to give it away or not.

But what about music copyright? Am I hypocritical for digitising my CD and record collection to put on my iPod? I think not. To begin with, I paid for the vinyl or CD in the first place. What's more, the digital version is only for my own use. I'm being consistent, in my view.

What's to be done? Probably nothing. Consider this an extended whinge. I just had to tell someone. I'd be interested in your view though.

Are we human, or are we chancers?

I don't know about you, but I like to have a relationship with a real person, not a machine.

On lots of social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, I see more and more automated messages, whether as replies, or even worse, as automatic Tweets about what's happening on the Internet.

Frankly, I find the whole thing somewhat rude.

So I block the senders, a habit I'm having to indulge in several times a day on Twitter, where some users send up to 30 news-related tweets at exactly the same time, presumably with no knowledge that they are doing it.

You'd think that people who used social media regularly would know better than to take a chance on losing followers Fewer, more personal messages, would be much more effective. Sending hundreds of soulless messages is not raising your profile, it's just silly.

So are you human, or are you a chancer?

Seven ways to ruin a press release

Press releases are vital tools in the PR armoury. Here are seven ways that you could end up firing blanks;

1. Have no obvious angle or hook. Journalists need to have an angle for every story. If your press release doesn't have one in the first few words, it will end up in the bin.

2. Deliver an old story. There must be an element of "news". If the story has been covered before, or happened a long time ago, there won't be any journalistic interest

3. Have a confusing headline. Does your headline pass the "poster test"? Trying to be too clever, with puns or double meanings, can backfire.

4. Cram in too much information. If the story is not obvious, the release is not doing its job.

5. Don't bother with quotes. In order to give real interest to a story, quotes are vital.

6. Avoid any controversy. Don't be boring - would you read a boring article?

7. Give only email contact details. Better make sure you take your computer to bed if you do this.

Can you cut your speech in half?

Those words that strike chill into the heart of a speaker "Sorry, we're running a bit late - can you cut your speech in half?" - should cause you no concern (OK, maybe a little). In a well-run event, you should never have to face this challenge, but believe me, it will happen at some point, so you need to know how to handle it. The first thing is not to panic. Everything will be fine, and your audience will still love you at the end of your speech. Hopefully, you will get the warning in sufficient time to make adjustments.

Here's what you shouldn't do - finish your speech early. There is no point in getting halfway through your prepared presentation and then saying "That's all I have time for. That really would be short-changing your audience. Instead, you need to take a good look at your speech and focus on the essential points. Keep the opening and closing statements, and at least one good story. Everything else is optional.

If you have audience exercises, dump them, unless they are a just a quick vote. Give even more emphasis to your core message. You don't need to apologise for rushing through your speech, since you will go at your planned speed through less material. If you have slides, consider not using them. You can easily talk for ten to fifteen minutes without them. Shorten or drop any Q&A session, and make yourself available during the next break.

Treat the "emergency" as an opportunity. If you do it well, the organiser will be extremely grateful to you, and so will your audience. It's a chance to demonstrate that you're a real professional.

Are you one of them, or one of us?

Many clients that I work with have high-paid positions in large organisations. That's why they are asked to appear on TV and radio. An issue they sometimes struggle with is how to relate to the day-to-day problems faced by their customers. If you have people to drive you around, organise your day, and follow your orders, you may be perceived as "one of them". Phrases such as "fat cat" may be used by your opponents to further this perception. If you find yourself categorised as "one of them, not one of us", how can you change people's views?

Some bosses seem to be able to do this effortlessly. Richard Branson represents the Virgin brand often. It's not natural, it's something he's learnt. In fact, he very nervous before any media interviews, but knows that he has to appear. He has nurtured his "common touch", by visiting his businesses regularly, and talking to staff and customers alike. A number of CEOs behave in a similar way, but not nearly enough.

It is essential that you understand, and can relate to, the issues that face your audience. If you don't understand how they feel, you will come across as aloof and distant. Make the point that you are a user of your own services (you are, aren't you?), or that you regularly visit the front line.

Don't pretend to be what you're not. William Hague, great speaker that he is, took a long time to live down the image of wearing a baseball cap to the Notting Hill Carnival, like a "regular guy". What you must do is understand and empathise with your audience. They will love you for it.

How Google managed a "crisis"

Today, for a period of around 40 minutes, every Google search result was accompanied by the words "This site may harm your computer". The chatter on Twitter was one of the first places where the problem was raised, and the surprising thing was that there was no obvious Google response to the hundreds of Twitter users reporting problems. One sharp-eyed Twitter user, Mark Shaw, spotted the problem and captured this image.

It was also clear from Twitter comments when the problem was fixed. An explanation has now been supplied by Google. So far, so good. But how did Google do in terms of managing the incident? 5 out of 10, I'd say.

Firstly, they failed to respond as quickly as they could have done, and clearly need to have a presence on the Web's early warning system, Twitter.

Secondly, though they fixed the problem quickly, there was no apparent pro-active move to deliver the information to their users (all of us). There is no status link from the Google homepage, for example.

Thirdly, the statement they released is good. They explained the problem in simple terms, took responsibility, and gave an assurance that they'd be more careful in future.

It won;t go down as a case study in crisis media management, and may just become a footnote in web history. But Google need to learn a lesson from this. I hope they do.

News Never Sleeps

Today, more than at any time in history, news is a 24-hour rolling stream. It never stops. This has both advantages and disadvantages. News media are engaged in constant competition to break stories, provide new angles, and secure the services of the best analysts and pundits to comment on and analyse stories.

If you appear on TV, you may find your remarks repeated on radio, quoted in newspapers, and appearing on websites. In short, there is no hiding place. Exclusivity, if it exists at all, is measured in seconds rather than minutes or hours. Once a story has broken, somewhere, you become fair game for reporters to chase.

How do you cope? Well, luckily, there are some things you can do to relieve the stress. Google Alerts are email updates of the latest mentions of any word or phrase that you specify. They can be sent to you daily, weekly or as they appear. You should definitely have Google alerts set up permanently for your name and your organisation name. If a crisis occurs, set up new alerts that relate to it. Monitor them constantly so that you will be ready to respond.

The other important thing is to have a 24-hour news contact. That doesn't have to be you, but it must be a real person, with a number that is made known through your press office, or (very importantly) on the press area of your website. You do have a press area, don't you? Well, I'll tell you more about setting one up soon.

Stuff comes in threes

I'm sure that by now you know the speaker's "rule of three". Whenever you are giving a list of items, always try to make it a list of three. It's easy on the ear, and is also easy for both you and the audience to remember. The "speaker's triplet" is also often used to trigger applause in political speeches, since the audience recognises that the list is complete as the third item is spoken.

Why does it work? I don't know, and don't really care (though I'm sure that I will receive some explanations as a result of this post). The thing is, it does work, so you should use it. You can use the same word ("education, education, education"), three different words ("faith, hope and charity"), or three phrases ("Government of the people, by the people, for the people") You can even use three complete sentences ("The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us" - Nelson Mandela)

Even in debates, if you are unsure about how to deliver a list, just give the first two that you can think of. Other listeners, aware that the list cannot be complete, will wait for several seconds before speaking, giving you time to gather your thoughts.

Finally, consider making the last item longer than the others ("life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness").This gives an implicit emphasis on the importance of the last in the list, and allows you to finish with a flourish (or maybe three flourishes)

And I quote...

Quoting the wisdom of others in your speech can help to make a point. However, you must always remember that the audience has come to hear you, not someone else's words. When you quote someone, always attribute the quote to its original source. Make sure too that it is someone your audience will have heard of. It makes no difference to them what John B Snodgrass said if they have no idea who he is. You may help them by qualifying the name, such as "The great philosopher Plato once said...", but you shouldn't really have to.

Quotes can be over-used too, so avoid using familiar ones like "Ask not what your country can do for you..." (especially at the moment, with comparisons between Obama and Kennedy).

Quotes can be direct (where you use the precise words) or indirect, where you paraphrase. It doesn't matter as long as it makes sense, and is in context with the rest your speech.

Don't say "and I quote.." Don't ever use that awful gesture where you draw quotation marks in the air with your fingers. And never, ever, quote yourself. That way lies madness.

Speaking with Clarity

In order to get your message across, you must speak as clearly as possible. Many speakers, particularly when they are nervous, tend to speak more quickly, making them harder to understand. You need to make a real effort to speak more slowly - in fact, it is almost impossible to speak too slowly. The point is to get your message across, not finish as quickly as possible.

Clarity and diction are important too. Some people worry about their accents when they are speaking. These days, this is not a problem, since all types of accent are now commonly heard. However, you do need to be aware of any local dialect words that may confuse a wider audience. A friend of mine, top professional speaker Kenny Harris, tells of the unusual way that certain Scottish folk sometimes respond. "If you ask a Glaswegian a question, and he says 'Aye, right', he means 'No'" says Kenny. "They're probably the only people who can put two positives together to make a negative". All over the world, there are words and phrases that can puzzle your audience. As ever, the best advice is to keep it simple

Using pauses is one of the most effective ways to improve communication. Not only does it help you to gather your thoughts, but it also helps your audience to digest and understand what you have said. It can be very difficult to get used to using pauses, since we all have set speaking patterns. It is well worth the effort, though. You can practice pausing by counting silently to three at the end of each phrase or sentence. The first time you try, it will seem like a lifetime, but persist until you are used to it. You will find it much easier to do if you talk to someone else, as they will be able to give you the feedback that it sounds just fine.

One of the best ways to improve your clarity is to change the pitch of your voice. We have all hear speakers who deliver in a monotone, causing most of their audience to doze off. You should aim at raising and lowering the pitch of your voice occasionally to maintain interest. Overall, try to lower your voice more than raising it, since this is easier on the ear of your listeners. So - just speak slowly and clearly. Simple, Eh?

On the way to the Lectern, not the Podium

OK, you are speaking at a conference, and they have asked you to use a lectern. Being a professional, you defer, saying that you don't want to create a barrier between you and the audience. The organisers respond that the only microphone is on the lectern, there is no radio mike, and all the other speakers are happy to use the set-up. What do you do?

You keep the client happy, that's what. And you remember these tips on the way to the lectern -

* Check the floor between your chair and the lectern for bumps and wires
* Make sure there are no keys jingling in your pocket
* Don't lean on the lectern
* Don't lean towards the microphone - stand tall, and let the technician adjust the sound
* Next time, think about bringing your own radio mike

And by the way, the podium is what you and the lectern are standing on.

Let me make things clear

When you deliver a message, you need to make it as clear as possible. It's impossible to over-simplify it. There's an old set of rules about how to make your communications as clear as possible -

1. Emphasise what is important
2. De-emphasise what is not important
3. Remove what is irrelevant

Easier said than done, perhaps. But it's a good discipline to review your speeches in the light of those rules. You may get a shock the first time you do it. And if you think "everything is important", you'll never get a message across.

Don't forget that the clearest messages are also concise. In other words, as long as necessary, but as short as possible. I hope that's clear.